FERPA (Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) is a federal act designed to protect the privacy of college students by limiting access to their student records. Once a student enrolls in college, they can determine what types of information parents and other caregivers can access. This information falls into three basic categories: financial records (e.g., bills and financial aid information), educational records (i.e., grades and class schedules), and student life records (e.g., disciplinary actions).
Many students may choose to give caregivers permission to access some or all of this information. If a student is not a tax dependent and chooses not to give his or her caregivers FERPA permissions, Georgetown employees cannot share any of the student’s records with the caregivers. However, if a college student is a tax dependent, colleges and universities may share appropriate information with the person who claims the student as a dependent on their taxes.
CHANGE FERPA PERMISSIONS
- Go to the Portal
- Go to GC Life
- Go to Update Your Address / FERPA Permissions
- Go to FERPA PERMISSIONS
- Go to FERPA Opt-Out Tab
- Choose what type of information Georgetown College shares with third parties and what appears in the online college directory.
- Click Submit
ADD SOMEONE WHO CAN SEE YOUR INFORMATION
- Go to the Portal
- Go to GC Life
- Go to Update Your Address / FERPA Permissions
- Go to FERPA PERMISSIONS
- Go to Add Parent/Guardian
- Complete all form fields
- Click Submit
The Office of the Registrar will review this information. You will receive an email once this person has been added. This usually takes one business day. After the addition, return to The Portal to configure this person’s permissions.
Tax Dependency
Under FERPA, anyone who claims you as a tax dependent may access your information, even if you remove their permissions as outlined above. When you add a new individual to your FERPA permissions, you will be asked to indicate whether they claim you as a tax dependent. If you aren’t sure, we strongly suggest speaking with the individual you are adding. If you need to update a person’s tax dependency status already listed in your FERPA permissions, please contact the Office of the Registrar.
